Olympic Legacy Boosts Tourism and Industry in China's Ski City
At the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday (18 February), Chinese freeski aerials star Xu Mengtao soared after executing a series of stunning jumps to defend her Olympic title, delivering a performance reminiscent of her historic victory in Beijing four years ago — a moment still vivid in many people’s memories.
On the other side of the world, at Genting Snow Park in Chongli District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, northern China, the slopes where Xu made history in 2022 are now bustling with activity throughout the year.
Genting Snow Park, located approximately 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing, now hosts more competitions than ever before, with the number of events increasing by 30 per cent annually since the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The venue also welcomes around 6,000 visitors daily during the 2025-2026 snow season, which began in November.
After the Beijing Olympics concluded four years ago, the resort faced the challenge of converting a fleeting moment of glory into a lasting legacy.
To attract recreational skiers, Genting Snow Park redesigned three of its six Olympic courses, reducing difficulty levels without diminishing the thrill. Today, 45 trails span the entire resort, with 42 catering to beginners, experienced skiers, and adrenaline enthusiasts alike.
For regular visitors such as Zhang Ye, 61, the convenience is unmatched. The Beijing retiree skis every week. “Just one hour by high-speed rail and 10 minutes by shuttle to the resort. Very convenient,” he said whilst putting on his ski gear.
Chongli itself has transformed to meet the surge in visitor demand. In 2025, more than 10 million tourists visited the district.
Express buses now connect Beijing’s airports and South Railway Station directly to resorts, whilst free shuttles link the railway station to the slopes, largely eliminating the “last mile” problem.
However, the district’s ambitions extend well beyond winter activities. With cool temperatures and forest coverage exceeding 70 per cent, Chongli is developing year-round appeal through summer and autumn activities such as mountain biking, hiking, and camping, whilst repurposing Olympic venues as outdoor parks and educational camps.
For example, Snow Ruyi Ski Resort has installed sightseeing cable cars and forest descent rides that allow visitors to set their own pace.
Summer tourism alone attracted 5.1 million visitors to Chongli in 2025 — more than during winter — generating tourism revenue of 4.42 billion yuan (1 yuan = Rp2,443).
Around 30,000 people are engaged in winter sports or tourism businesses in Chongli, with 80 per cent of them working year-round, according to official data.
Chongli offers a broader picture of the rapid development of China’s ice and snow industry.
According to the 2025 China Ice and Snow Economic Development Report, the sector grew from 364.7 billion yuan in 2016 to over 1 trillion yuan in 2025, with winter tourism participation exceeding 300 million people for three consecutive seasons.
This sustained enthusiasm has driven the formation of a complete value chain encompassing equipment manufacturing, event hosting, training services, and tourism.
Approximately two hours’ drive from Chongli, the Xuanhua Ice and Snow Equipment Industrial Park is capitalising on this momentum.
At the industrial park, Lidakis — a Chinese snowboard brand founded in 2003 — has warehouses filled with boards, boots, and other equipment destined for both domestic resorts and overseas customers.
“Twenty years ago, snowboards had just entered the Chinese market and very few people bought them,” said Jin Huiyuan, 68, CEO of Lidakis.
“Take children’s boards, for example. Before 2015, 100 boards sold in three years. By 2016, 3,000 were not enough. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, even 10,000 could not meet demand,” he added.
As online livestreaming has grown, Jin is now expanding Lidakis’s direct-to-consumer sales channels.
“The number of orders I receive each month now equals what I used to handle over an entire snow season when I first started in this field,” said Qu Xiaotong, a 32-year-old ski photographer, adding that China’s growing winter sports fan base is the primary driver of his business.
“The growth of winter sports in China, especially after the Beijing 2022 Olympics, has changed everything — my work, this industry, even the way people enjoy snow. It feels as though the Olympics never ended,” said Qu.